The latest survey from IIRIS Consulting, conducted in partnership with the CII Centre of Women Leadership, has brought to light an important gap existing between the workplace inclusiveness policies and women working in the security sector of India. According to the Women In Security Survey (WISS) 2026, while diversity and inclusiveness programs are followed by almost all organizations, gender discrimination is still very prevalent.

As per the survey results, 92.7% of organisations have formal inclusion policies or flexible working policies or DEI frameworks. On the other hand, 74% of security professionals stated that they themselves or others around them faced gender discrimination at their workplace. Survey results further revealed that 84.5% of participants feel that there is under-representation of women in security roles.

According to the report, although the sector has realised the significance of gender diversity, there is still a significant gap between the policies and their implementation in practice. This is because the issue at hand has transformed from one of realising the underrepresentation to one where it is necessary to implement policies that would translate into practical benefits.

Sagarika Chakraborty, Chief Executive Officer, IIRIS Consulting, said, “the conversation around inclusion has continued for years, yet the everyday experience of many women has not changed enough. Policies are important, but they cannot become the finish line. Real progress begins when organisations listen more closely, question what is not working and take responsibility for the outcomes. Women should not have to constantly prove that they belong in security. They must be given the trust, support and opportunities to lead, influence decisions and build long-term careers. The way forward is to move from good intent to consistent action, with leadership held accountable for creating change that women can actually experience.”

The survey also found broad support for increasing women's participation in the sector.This was supported by the fact that nearly 96.8% of the respondents believed that more should be done to enable women in security-related roles, while 84.5% stated that underrepresentation is an important issue.

In terms of organisational strategies, there are initiatives geared towards promoting inclusion. These include the presence of DEI policies (89.6%), gender neutral policies (90.7%), unconscious bias programs (91.2%), and flexible working options (92.7%).

Even after all these interventions, the issue of workplace culture remains a challenge. Almost 39.7% of the participants have indicated that the stereotypical workplace culture is one of the key challenges which hinder women’s entry into the field of security.

Shivani Kumar, Executive Director, CII Centre of Women Leadership, said, “The findings of this report are a wake-up call. Despite years of discussion around inclusion and representation, significant gaps continue to persist. Policies alone cannot drive change unless they are supported by consistent implementation, regular review and clear accountability. Organisations must move beyond a compliance-led approach and build systems that evolve with workplace realities. The objective should not only be to increase women’s participation, but also to ensure that they have equal opportunities to lead, influence decisions and shape the future of their industries.”

One of the major suggestions that came out from the survey was the concept of mentorship, which was recognized by 45.2% of the people taking the survey as the intervention method that works the best for helping women progress in the security sector. According to the survey, mentorship programs will become absolutely necessary.

The findings also showed strong support for collective industry action, with 90.3% of respondents backing the idea of an industry-wide gender parity pledge. According to the report, this reflects a growing willingness within the sector to work collectively towards greater accountability and inclusion.

Garry Singh, President, IIRIS Consulting, said, “The security sector is undergoing a fundamental shift. Risk, resilience, trust and preparedness are now boardroom priorities. If the sector is to evolve meaningfully, inclusion has to become part of how organisations build capability, not just how they frame policy. WISS 2026 is an important step towards creating the evidence base needed for more accountable industry action.”

The report calls for the enhancement of mentoring models, developing leadership models for women, making industry-wide pledges and cultivating work environments where women can enter, stay, and succeed in their security professions.

Women in Security Survey 2026 is an extension to the earlier versions of this survey. While the first version of this survey in 2022 helped set the benchmark for women’s participation in the industry, the second one in 2025 focused on structural issues, the current version tries to find out if increased awareness has made any difference in the workplace.

This report was released at India Women Leadership & Growth Summit 2026 held in New Delhi. The summit included policymakers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, security professionals and women leaders discussing various issues related to leadership, security, business resiliency and growth.